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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646112">secret letters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDKoopa/pseuds/JDKoopa'>JDKoopa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Apologies, F/M, Fantastical Felannie Week (Fire Emblem), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Vulnerability</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDKoopa/pseuds/JDKoopa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Annette is interrupted while writing a letter by a villain who only wants to apologize. They each get more than expected.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>FantasyFelannieWeek2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>secret letters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Fantastical Felannie day 4, prompt: letters! </p>
<p>This one pushes the envelope a bit on their characters, but in my head this is a B+ support, and I think with that context this situation makes some sense.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Knock knock knock</i>
</p>
<p>“Just a second!” Annette said. She opened her textbook, using it to cover up the letter she was writing. It wasn’t exactly a secret letter, but she was uncomfortable with anyone finding out about it. She opened the door to her room. “Hello? Can I help…”</p>
<p>Annette trailed off as she met the eyes of her visitor. Why did it have to be him? Wasn’t it enough that he had walked in on her singing twice now? “Hello, Annette. I came to clear up a misunderstanding.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what misunderstanding there could be between us, Felix.” She spat the words at him, embarrassed that he, of all people, had to come see her in her pajamas. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I should be going.” Annette started to close the door, but Felix put his foot in the way.</p>
<p>“I don’t mean to be a villain.” The words caught her by surprise. She let him push the door open slightly, but hid halfway behind it, trying to conceal her face as much as possible. After a few moments, it became clear that Felix was waiting on some sort of response.</p>
<p>“Is this going to take long?” She asked. She wanted to get back to her letter, but she couldn’t very well ignore a classmate. Especially this one. The boy in front of her was the kind of monster who could make fun of her without batting an eye. She hated him. Yet there was something about him that drew her to him as well.</p>
<p>“As long as it takes to convince you I’m more than whatever you’ve heard that made you dislike me.” Annette sighed, then opened the door and motioned him inside. “Thanks.” Felix muttered under his breath, averting his gaze so he was looking at his feet. Annette thought he was blushing, but she wasn’t sure. Why would Felix be blushing in the first place?</p>
<p>“Alright then,” Annette said, closing the door behind them. “Tell me what makes you not a monster. You refused my bribe, and you made fun of my songs after spying on me. That’s pretty villainous.” Annette sat at her desk and folded her arms, leaving Felix the awkward decision of sitting on her bed or standing. </p>
<p>Felix opted to stand near the door, eyes wandering the room, looking everywhere except for at Annette. “As I was trying to tell you, I wasn’t spying on you. And I like your songs, that’s why I don’t want to forget them.”</p>
<p>Annette blinked, then realized that in each of their encounters, Felix had been saying nice things with a straight face, and she had run off before finding out if he actually meant them. “You… You like them?”</p>
<p>“It’s not a big deal or anything. I just know I’m not the… nicest person here. I don’t care what you think of me, but I’d rather you hate me for something I’ve done than some stupid misunderstanding. Especially since we sit near each other in class, I thought it might begin to affect your studies.” Felix looked at Annette for a moment, then quickly glanced away.</p>
<p>Annette followed his gaze and realized he was staring at her desk, where she had a textbook open to notes from that day’s lecture. “Oh, no it’s fine I’m not behind. I was just re-reading today’s notes so I could ask questions tomorrow. And… thank you. I may have jumped to conclusions because of how you’re always so mean to Dimi and you’re always scowling. If you’re not mocking me, though, then I apologize for the misunderstanding.”</p>
<p>Felix nodded, eyes fixed on the desk. “Were you doing something else before I got here?” He locked eyes with her for the first time since he came into her room, and suddenly Annette got nervous.</p>
<p>“W-what do you mean? Like I said, I was just studying today’s notes.” Annette was flustered, why was he asking her that? Did he think she was stupid? Had he actually just come here to mock her more?</p>
<p>“That isn’t the textbook from today’s class, and I can see a paper sticking out from underneath it. It looks like you were writing someone a letter.” Felix idly walked closer, and Annette scrambled to put the book and letter into her desk drawer. Unfortunately, in her hurry to hide the letter, Annette opened the wrong drawer, and accidentally pulled it completely out of her desk. Dozens of letters fluttered around her room, letters she had been writing in secret for the day she could deliver them herself.</p>
<p>“Oh no! I knew you were a bully, but I didn’t know you could be this cruel.” Annette cried, trying to gather the letters before Felix could read any of them. She put the drawer back in it’s tracks and closed it with a sigh.</p>
<p>“‘Dear father, today was my graduation from the school of sorcery in Fhirdiad. I wish you could have been here,’” Felix looked up from the letter that had flown into his hands in the chaos. His face was impossible to read. “Your father wasn’t there?”</p>
<p>“Give that back!” Annette yanked the paper from Felix’s hands and shoved it into the drawer with the others, then smacked his arm. “You’re the WORST, Felix! But no, my father wasn’t there for my graduation. Or a lot of birthdays, holidays, or anything! Happy now? My father wasn’t around, that’s the whole reason I’m here.” </p>
<p>Annette started crying and sank into her chair. Why did Felix have to be the person to find her letters? He would never understand, and he’d probably just think she was stupid for writing letters to someone who wasn’t there.</p>
<p>“I wrote letters too.” Felix said. Annette looked up at him through her tears, sure he was lying. Yet his expression showed a pain she had never seen in him before. “I wrote to my brother, every time he was away. I never sent them, but I always wanted to tell him how scared I was that he would never come back. Then, one day, he didn’t. I never got to send him those letters after all.”</p>
<p>Annette wiped her nose with the back of one hand, and used the other to clear her eyes. “I’m sorry. I had no idea…” She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know Felix. He was a mystery, and yet here he was, in front of her, so vulnerable. Where was this coming from?</p>
<p>“I wrote to my father after that. After the king died, my father left me to raise the prince. He picked Dimitri over me. I often started letters asking him to come home, to bring my brother and my mother back to me. I kept them under my pillow in my room, thinking one day I would show them to my father. He’s never seen them.”</p>
<p>Felix leaned against the wall, sliding slowly so he was hugging his knees, sitting on the floor. “I’m sorry you didn’t know your father, Annette. I know what it’s like to grow up without one. I may know mine now, but he and I will never see eye-to-eye. I hope someday you get to deliver those letters, and that your father is a man who can atone for his mistakes.”</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a few seconds, each of them more vulnerable than they had expected to be. Before Annette could gather her thoughts enough to speak, Felix stood back up and opened her door. “Anyway, I’m glad we cleared up the misunderstanding. Have a good night.” He closed the door gently behind him, leaving Annette alone to ponder the sad, hurt boy that she had never seen before.</p>
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